Topaz Ranch Estates burglar sentenced to prison

Saying there'd been plenty of chances to reform, Judge Michael Gibbons ordered Bradley Stribling to serve a 12-34-month prison sentence for burglarizing Topaz Ranch Estates firefighters' personal vehicles.

Stribling's attorney, Tod Young, argued the 19-year-old should be sentenced to drug court with a mental health component.

"If you take someone who is an alcoholic, has mental health issues and is borderline retarded and send him to prison, he's not going to come out better," Young said.

In December. Stribling was ordered to participate in a regimental boot camp program administered by the Nevada Department of Prisons. It was anticipated he would spend a month in Nevada State Prison in preparation for the program.

Prison officials sent Stribling back to Douglas County in early February, saying he wasn't following the rules and that he'd thrown a food tray.

Stribling denied he'd thrown the tray.

Young said Stribling had been in the intake section for longer than he was supposed to be.

"His IQ is in the mid-70s and it's reflected in the pre-sentence report that he is ADHD," Young said. "Those issues in combination with not knowing why he hadn't been transferred to boot camp made for a very difficult situation for him."

Gibbons ticked off the programs Stribling had participated in as a juvenile. Gibbons pointed out that prison would keep Stribling off the streets for a while.

Gibbons said he was skeptical that Stribling was a good candidate for boot camp to begin with.

"He may start off OK, but he's not going to make it for a long time," he said.

Stribling is eligible for parole after 12 months and was given credit for 141 days time served.

Stribling admitted breaking into firefighters' and paramedics' personal vehicles at the Topaz Ranch Estates fire station on Oct. 12, 2009.

He was caught in the back of a pickup truck. Firefighters held the door shut until deputies arrived.